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Clinton to Iran: Don't misread departure from Iraq

Iran should not misread the withdrawal of
American troops from Iraq as affecting the U.S. commitment to the
fledgling democracy, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said
Sunday.

President Barack Obama's announcement Friday that all American
troops would return from Iraq by the end of the year will close a
chapter on U.S.-Iraq relations that began in 2003 with the U.S.-led
invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

Iran is expected to try to use the departure of U.S. troops to
expand its influence on its neighbor.

Clinton said in a series of news show interviews that the U.S.
would continue its training mission with Iraq and that it would
resemble operations in Colombia and elsewhere. While the U.S. will
not have combat troops in Iraq, she said the American presence
would remain strong because of its bases in the region.

"Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the
entire region and all of our presence in many countries in the
region, both in bases, in training, with NATO allies, like
Turkey," she told CNN's "State of the Union."

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about fears of civil war in
Iraq after U.S. troops leave, Clinton said, "Well, let's find out.
... We know that the violence is not going to automatically end."

She added: "No one should miscalculate America's resolve and
commitment to helping support the Iraqi democracy. We have paid too
high a price to give the Iraqis this chance. And I hope that Iran
and no one else miscalculates that."

The timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals had been agreed to by
President George W. Bush and Iraqi leaders. Obama had campaigned
for the presidency with the promise to end America's war in Iraq.

For months the Obama administration negotiated with Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials to extend the
stay of troops and to build permanent bases. Both sides saw
advantages to keeping several thousand U.S. troops in Iraq as part
of a training mission, but there was also strong opposition in the
U.S. and Iraq for the American troops to stay.

A sticking point was the U.S. demand that American troops be
granted legal immunity to shield them from Iraqi prosecution, a
flashpoint for Iraqi anger over the Americans' special status in
their homeland.

In Iraq, cheers and fears greeted Obama's announcement as the
country pondered another period of uncertain transition. While many
celebrated what they viewed as the end of a foreign occupation,
there was also apprehension over what would happen without U.S.
troops on hand to help control political and social divisions that
still spark shootings and bombings.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed
Services Committee, called the withdrawal decision "a serious
mistake" that is viewed in the region as a victory for Iran. He
also said the presence of U.S. bases elsewhere in the region will
have little impact on Iraq.

"There was never really serious negotiations between the
administration and the Iraqis," McCain told "This Week" on ABC.
"I believe we could have negotiated an agreement. And I'm very,
very concerned about increased Iranian influence in Iraq."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who also serves on the committee,
criticized Obama for "not being able to close the deal" with
Iraq, and he said the Iranians remain emboldened with "a shot in
Iraq they would never had otherwise." He also expressed concern
over Iran's nuclear program.

"The Iranians don't fear us at all," Graham said on "Fox News
Sunday." He added: "At a time when we need troops in Iraq to
secure the place against intervention by Iran and they had actors
in the region, we are going into 2012 with none. It was his job,
the Obama administration's job, to end this well. They failed."